Lifeline
by MilleFeuille
Summary: When fate decides to play dirty with the lives of Sessh and Inu, two eternally quarreling brothers, and binds their souls together as one, they now must put aside their differences and depend on each other to survive. Chapter 4 is now up!
1. The Western Lord and the Hanyou child

**Akida**-Well it finally bugged me enough to start up another story, and hopefully it will be considerably better than my first one ^.^ I'll tell you now I have no idea where this may go, due to my sudden caffeine intake, it could get messy. But enough about that, on to my newest creation! I will apologize in advance for NOT updating "My Dearest Miroku" for a very long time, I just had to get this story out of my head and into some words. I hope you will enjoy this one as well!

**-:-Disclaimer-:-** Oh yeah, I gotta write these things every now and then. I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters.

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**Lifeline**

**By: Akida**

**The Western Lord and the Hanyou child**

Dawn. Beautiful, glorious dawn. The precious moment when night and day collide for an instant, and mingle within the heavenly graces of each other, before the frame of time shifts and they recoil from the others presence. The sun cracked its first few rays over the horizon, giving the sky above a light rosy tint as warm fingers of light stretched across the landscape.

  


As the light reached the western lands, it found the substantially sized castle situated on its gradient, and bathed the structure in warmth heating night chilled stones. Chasing away the shadows the light crept in through windows and openings, and filtered weakly through shoji's.

  


Almost instantly when the light could be seen, the quiet thrum of activity started up within the castle as servants scurried to and fro, seeing to their duties in hurried fluency.

  


Despite the absence of guests not all the rooms were vacant. At the end of a hall in the northern wing of the castle, a significant ornate door stood at its ending opening up into a large master bedroom. This room was occupied.

  


At the far end of the room near a balcony window, a figure sprawled on a futon still in the depths of slumber. Long silvery hair splayed over the figures pale shoulders, and mingled within the sheets that tangled about his limbs. Delicate lips parted subconsciously allowing an ivory fang to contrast with the rosy hue, and a slight frown rested on his brow. All in all, it was quite an amusing spectacle of the present Western Lord: Sesshomaru.

  


Sighing lazily he shifted to his left side facing the window, and a ray of light that penetrated the drapery berated his eye until it finally opened. He let a groan of annoyance escape his throat, and closed his eyes trying to return to sleep. It had been a restless night for him, and he had finally gone to sleep during the early hours of the morning. He felt groggy and tetchy, which would have a bad effect upon his usual harsh demeanor, giving those who displeased him in the slightest way the short end of his temper.

  


He rose slowly placing a clawed hand with two distinct red stripes on his shoulder, and rotated his sore neck until it cracked enough to satisfy him. His piercing amber gaze rested upon the offending shaft of light, and found the window to be slightly open. He frowned. He was certain it had been closed tightly last night, or maybe it was just a loose bolt that needed tightening. Either way he found the inconvenience slightly bothersome, but brushed it off until he had the time to corner someone about it.

  


He stood stretching taut muscles and opened the windows, stepping out onto the cold marble surface that met his bare feet, sending a slight shiver through his legs. Leaning his weight against the stone railing, and gazed out over the lands that belonged him, the wind played with his silken strands as they wreathed around his body like tiny white snakes. It hadn't seemed too long ago that he was merely an heir to his fathers castle and the lands surrounding it, and his father ruled with a vengeance giving the name of a Demon Lord a whole new meaning. Sesshomaru had to admit, he had admired his fathers ways, and the mere utterance of his name drove those below him into fits of panicked fear. Sesshomaru loved every second of it.....of course that was before _she_ came.

  


*_____(Flashback)_____*

  


She was human, an insignificant human being, but that didn't seem to mar the sudden flow of emotions his father expressed for her. Before, he hadn't given her much thought until her presence began to gnaw at him, and if that wasn't enough he soon found that she was to be his fathers chosen mate. He loved the human woman, or so he showed. Apparently, he had had the wool over his eyes longer than he had imagined, for this wasn't news to anyone else but him. In order to keep his tyrannous stature, and be able to protect the woman from harm, he had not uttered a word about her existence. _She_ was his mother, she a _human_ woman was his mother, and the more he thought about it the more it ate away at him. He watched the impact the female made on his father; he was getting soft.

  


It made him sick and aggravated. He couldn't see what there was to love about her, she was weak and unable to protect herself, and he hated the way she smelled so...human. He hated the way humans smelled. He soon grew a deep dislike, and maybe even disgust for her, but he knew better than to voice that aloud. His father may have gone soft when it came to attacking and destroying areas, but he was still a force to be reckoned with as far as parenting went. So he kept his brooding inside, distancing himself from her as if she were a leper, and if that wasn't enough yet another surprise was in store for him yet. She was soon to bear a child, and because she was human this child would not be a full-blooded yokai, no not a full demon but a half-breed, a hanyou child.

  


The labor toke hours, hour upon slow aching hour. The pained screams he heard stung his sensitive hearing, and when it seemed to have no end another cry was heard; A newborns cry, the babe that was his little brother...his _half-breed_ brother. Already he could smell the unmistakable scent, and it would be stamped into his mind forever. 

  


The name given to the small mass of fuzz was Inuyasha, and despite himself he was curious to see his little brother. He hadn't seen a demon babe before so allowed his beaming father to investigate the new addition. Large curious amber eyes stared out from the off white cloth he was wrapped in, fixed almost hypnotically at the older sibling. Short white hair curled slightly around his two feathery dog ears, and for some peculiar reason Sesshomaru couldn't resist rubbing them. He gained a wriggled protest from the little one and a wide grin as he caught hold of one of his fingers in his tiny hand. Sesshomaru winced slightly, only a newborn and he had a grip like a vise.

  


He let a shadowed smile play on his features before it was buried by his usual stoic appearance, he couldn't forget that this was a tainted child...the demonic blood coursing through these veins was soiled by that of a human. His frown turned into a sneer as he tore his gaze away from the confused child ignoring his fathers words, and made a beeline for the grounds outside the castle where a small creek babbled over smooth rocks. He sulked for hours in angered silence. He couldn't explain the sudden disgust that over toke him, but all he knew was that he just wanted to be away from them, far away from his father, his mate, and that human woman's child.

  


It had only been a few weeks after his birth, and already he disliked...no despised his younger sibling.

*_____(End Flashback)_____*

Sesshomaru ran a clawed hand through his silver tresses in unfocused thought, sighing as the mornings chill winds brushed against his face. To this day he still couldn't understand why he couldn't stand his brother or the woman who bore him, she had made every effort to be friends with him yet he brushed her off like offending dust. He knew he didn't feel much for her because she was human, but what of his brother? He may be only half-demon but he is still a demon right....yet even that in itself wasn't convincing enough for him. Could it be that his scent held a tinge of human essence in it....no that wasn't it his scent had nothing to do with it, but what was it that irked him about Inuyasha?

  


He shook his head clearing his mind of the tumultuous thoughts, and turned away from the sunbathed scenery and closed the windows behind him gently. He had a lot of things to see to today, and he didn't want to start it off with thoughts that aroused questions that would never be answered.

  


Tossing his robe over the futon he dressed in a light blue yukata trimmed with indigo planning the days activities in order, most of which would be spent in the study sorting through stacks of scrolls sent to him by numerous demon lords. He groaned inwardly. He'd been lazy in not attending to _those_ duties when they would have been convenient and require less of his attention, but it was too late now that he'd let it pile up.

  


_ 'If I put my work off any longer I might be up to my waist in those documents....I shouldn't have delayed this. '_

  


He left his room and padded down the long hallway and was instantly accompanied by a maid, who proceeded in informing him of the comings and goings. Had he not been so preoccupied with his predicament, he would have noticed the stray feathers that rested on the marble floor where he had stood outside moments ago.

  


As he rounded the next corner he realized which hallway he was in, and dismissed the maid with a wave his amber gaze fixed on a particular door. He walked to it slowly breathing deep the familiar scent of Jasmine which radiated from it in cool waves, and placed a hand over the red stained wood taking the smell and feel of the grain and the sweet aroma that wafted through to him.

  


This was one scent that would be engraved into his mind and soul for all his days, and seemed to block out everything around it....only it remained wrapping him in its overpowering embrace. He breathed once more and brushed off the dizzied feeling that accompanied this scent and slid the door open quietly, peering about the room in search of its occupant.

  


He found her perched on the window sill at the far wall staring out towards the western lands, her smooth rich skin contemplated by the loose white gown she wore. Russet hair splashed over her shoulders as the wind danced through it, and at the moment she seemed the embodiment of purity to Sesshomaru. He continued to stare at her not sure whether to alert her of his presence, or walk backwards very slowly and leave before he started salivating. All chances were cast away when she turned to him and gave him a warm smile, a note of happiness wedged in with her voice.

  


"Oh good morning Sesshomaru-sama how did you sleep? Well I hope," she asked slipping awkwardly from her place, which seemed quite graceful to him.

  


"My rest was....fine I suppose," he said stiffly and scolded himself to loosen up.

  


She didn't seem to notice his forced choice of words, and let a stray yawn escape as she stretched and turned to him with her sunny expression, oblivious of his transfixed gaze upon her.

  


"That's good to hear one of us slept fine, I had an odd dream about a raven who came to my window and watched me the entire night," she began crossing her arms thoughtfully trying to recall details. "It wouldn't have bugged me so much but its eyes were really creepy, kind of like....blind eyes but I still felt like they could see me, like someone else was watching me and not that bird.....and that dark smoke that surrounded it crept through the cracks and went everywhere.....it felt like something was in all that smoke but when I woke up everything seemed normal......it felt really weird. Sesshomaru-sama what do you think it means--eh?"

  


Her demon warder had a distant expression in his face and eyes, and she noticed now that he had traveled closer to her. Pouting slightly she walked over to him and deliberately poked his ear, until he shook off the offending sensation and glanced drowsily into the girls mopping face. Her scent had changed he observed and it smelled almost frustrated which confused him.

  


"Sesshomaru-sama are you alright? You don't seem well." She said pressing her index fingers together.

  


"I'm fine Rin....," he trailed off hazily and noting the exhaustion in his voice. Rin had a habit of talking a persons ear off, and yet through her ramblings her voice carried a note that caught his attention more than her words, and drew him into a lulled state. His thoughts were cut short by her cheerful laughter, bringing him out of his trance.

  


  
"That's alright Sesshomaru-sama it wasn't a very nice dream anyway, besides I had a feeling you didn't sleep well when I asked." She giggled pointed out her observations, "you looked a little out of it yesterday too."

  


Along with her words he wondered what had caused his restless thrashing, he couldn't recall anything that disturbed him that much the previous day or the day before, and decided to catch up on that later when he wasn't bogged down with work. Looking towards the girl again he allowed himself a ghost of a smile at her teasing grin.

  


"Not much gets by you does it Rin," he replied liking the ring of her name.

  


"Nope! Not at all!" She replied energetically as she half-skipped towards her bed where a fresh pile of clothing had been laid out. "Um Sesshomaru-sama can I...may I eat with you today? I don't get to eat in the mornings with you as much as I used to," she asked shyly kneading the deep purple cloth in her hands. Truth be told she hadn't seen him that much at _any_ time of the day, let alone the mornings, and she fretted that maybe he was having second thoughts about being around a human girl this long. Despite the young woman she was now her childlike demeanor hadn't abated with the addition of those years, and she still insisted on using the same suffix she had used when she was just a child in his care.

  


The yokai lord looked over to her with a slight guilt, but masked it with his usual unreadable expression. He still had stacks of documents to look over but then again those files weren't going anywhere, and he sensed Rin's concern over her place as his companion. Letting a sigh escape unchecked he nodded his approval and waited patiently outside the girls door, listening intently to the song she hummed.

  


Closing his eyes and meditatively listening to the melodious voice a sudden chill crept its way down his spine, jolting him from his trance making him take up a rigid yet calmed stance. No others occupied the hallway that he could sense, save himself, and he concluded the odd event to be a trick of fatigue...however....

  


_ 'It felt as if someone was watching me....nonsense, there is no one else in this hallway and even if there was, I would have sensed them far before they arrived....I need rest and that is all.'_

  


With that convincing thought he forced his warning instincts from him, and continued the wait for his female companion. Not a moment later Rin slid the red-stained door open and walked briskly out dressed in a deep purple kimono, with her brown hair tied back in a loose braid by a red ribbon.

  


"You didn't wait long did you Sesshomaru-sama?" She asked with a bright smile.

  


"No," he replied impassively as he led the way down the hallway. She nodded and fell into place next to the tall yokai, and proceeded to hum a light tune as she observed the passing open rooms and corridors. She had been lived inside the castle for ten years now (A/N: Ok, lets just say she was 7 when Sessh found her, you do the math) and there was still so much she hadn't seen of it. She wondered just how large the place really was and was about to inquire about it to the demon lord, when she looked over and caught her breath.

  


"S-Sesshomaru-sama?!"

  


Sesshomaru had fallen behind and was holding a hand to his throat, staring ahead with pained dulled eyes. Rin dashed to him and grasped his arm frantically calling his name, frightened at his lack of response to her pleas. At long last the towering figure staggered forward coughing haggardly, and turned to the small figure beside him appearing both pained and perplexed.

  


"Sesshomaru-sama," she whimpered fearfully. 

  


"I did not mean to trouble you," the inu-yokai replied to her worries as if nothing had happened. "There is nothing for you to worry over Rin."

  


This didn't make her feel any more secure with his previous behavior, but she was content with the fact that he had addressed her finally. She was on the verge of asking whether or not he was sure he was alright, when a certain toad demon scrambled over to his master.

  


"Sesshomaru-sama! There is an oddly robed guest who wishes to speak with you at the lower hall, I tried to tell him that Your Lordship was far too busy to deal with the likes of _him_, yet he persisted in speaking with you milord!"

  


Shrugging indifferently he nodded his approval and was led by his trusted, yet grotesque looking servant, glancing to Rin indicating she should follow. She nodded and trailed after them, concern for him still streaking here face. The demon lord knew how much she was looking forward to spending time with him, but business wasn't always patient enough to allow breathing room.

  


_ 'More importantly...'_

  


He dragged a clawed hand from the folds of his sleeves and massaged the area around his neck that throbbed faintly, recalling the distinct constricting sensation that had weakened him moments ago. That feeling of helplessness agitated him and moreover it had occurred so unexpectedly, then departed almost as soon as it had come. Had something really been in the hallway with him when he sensed it briefly, or was this something he could brush off and ignore. Somehow, he didn't feel very confident with the later decision which he would've taken if it were a different situation.

  


_ 'I'll deal with it later, I've no time for paranoia now.'_

  


*--------------------*(Somewhere in an eastern forest)*--------------------*

  


The forest floor was carpeted with a thin layer of dew, provided by the early morning mist as it crept its fingers around tree trunks, and into tiny holes among the grass. A large ancient oak protruded from a clearing like a centerpiece on a set table, its large root system uplifted the earth into small knolls of greenery and winding branches dipped low with lush foliage.

  


Somewhere in the higher branches of this aged monolith, a dash of red and snowy white could be glimpsed from time to time between patches of green, both of which belonged to a slumbering figure. A dewdrop that had collected on the edge of a leaf had now out weighed its perch, and released its hold on it and landed on the forms fuzzy ear.

  


Twitching it subconsciously he awoke from the uninvited disturbance, and cringed rubbing at his side as reality shook his weary senses to wakefulness. The battle had been long, the enemy formidable, and in an attempt to shield a raven-haired girl from the beast's attacks, his ribs received the damaging strike and tore a large area of his side open. He made a mental note that blocking an attack with ones side wasn't efficient.

  


Grating out a slow yawn he stretched himself carefully trying to avoid his sensitive wound, and starred through the swaying mass of greenery watching the water colored sky of sunrise. Even though he had passed out as soon as they reached this clearing 10 hours ago, he still felt drained which bothered him more than the merciless throbbing at his side.

  


If they were attacked by anything serious enough he would be useless to his comrades, which combined the fact that the rest of them were humans and one child demon who could be considered _as strong as a human._

  


As the sun's rays finally broke over the horizon the group sleeping below at the base of the massive tree, stirred leisurely into wakefulness stretching cold muscles and rising slowly from the cool earth one by one.

  


"Morning everyone," a dark haired girl with a green and white uniform yawned out. "Ugh, I slept like a log but I could've used a heavier blanket. I'll have to remember that next time I go back," she noted mentally.

  


"Well it is good that your rest was well Lady Kagome," replied a man dressed in a heavy black robe, and a purple sash. "My rest was a little.....rough," he finished massaging an irritated area near the back of his head.

  


"Well it wouldn't have been so _rough_ if you would just stay within a sensible range of 'personal space' and not constantly invade someone else's," grumbled another dark haired woman wearing a tight black jumpsuit and ornately colored armor.

  


"Ah, but Sango I was merely concerned that you were not warm enough, besides it is fact that shared body heat circulates warmth," He grinned mischievously.

  


"I'll appreciate those words once your status as a lecherous monk have been nullified," she shot back glaring holes at the 'holy-man'.

  


"Heh you at it again eh Miroku? You must have a death wish or something," added a small fox-child demon adorned in a tan fur wrapping. "You know one of these days Sango's gonna hit you hard enough that you'll get amnesia and forget everything."

  


"Keep praying for it Shippo-chan its likely to happen with the number of times he takes his chances," she said shouldering an oversized boomerang.

  


"Now that's just cruel," Miroku said hunching against a large root from the tree. "I'm not sure who I should be afraid of more....the constant attacking demons or my comrades."

  


"Oh don't worry about it Miroku all you have to do is stop being so kinky," Kagome smiled.

  


"The sky will indeed have fallen once that blessed event happens," Shippo replied sarcastically.

  


Stifling a laugh of her Kagome turned her attention towards the towering oak tree above, straining her eyes to glimpse the occasional streaks of red and white. She frowned worriedly. Since yesterdays battle had ended their stiff demon companion had seemed more exhausted than usual, and he had secluded himself in the high branches of the tree after she had practically wrestled bandages on his lacerated side. They hadn't seen him for the remainder of the day, and it bothered her more than ever.

  


_ 'I know he hates it when we try to help him recover, but he seemed more rigid than usual about it this time.'_

  


She knew asking him why he was so against her assistance this time around wasn't going to work, like anything in else that involved social interactions with the dog demon, it was like trying to pull teeth. Despite the lengthy time the group had been together, he still continued to keep things concerning himself buried beneath cement.

  


It also annoyed her that whenever something crucial came up that had to do with him, he wouldn't spill it until the last second when it was least convenient. All the things she knew of him presently, like him being only a half-breed and losing his demonic powers during a new moon, she had found out at the last second during a battle that depended on his stretngth. One of these days she'd have to tie him to something and make him tell her anything else that would become a problem in the future.

  


_ 'Oh well, I'm sure he has some plausible reason to keep things hidden from the light, but besides that....' _

"Inuyasha come down here!" She yelled up to him, "everyone's awake now!"

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No answer.

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"Come on, you said it yourself that we shouldn't waste time in distancing ourselves from the battle field!"

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No answer still.

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"Ok! Guess I brought **all this 'ramen' for nothing.**"

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Not even an answer to food.....creepy eh?

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"Inuyasha!?"

  


"What is it Lady Kagome?" Miroku asked wandering in her direction, followed by the other two members of the group.

  


"Inuyasha wont answer me... he's not even say anything offensive about me yelling at him," She replied biting her lip in agitation. The dog boy was fairly quick about heated responses, but the gruff voice never answered.

  


"You better not be sulking up there fuzz ball!" Shippo barked up at the figure made invisible by the foliage.

  


Their snowy haired companion was not sulking at all, but I'm certain he would rather have been sulking. High in the loftier branches of the oak a frantic Inuyasha clawed helplessly at the aged bark, while the other hand was clamped over his throat desperately gasping for air. The sudden constriction had stunned him with its spontaneous arrival, and it felt as if something with a viselike grip was crushing his neck restraining his breathing.

  


The world around him became a hazy muddled mesh and he could faintly hear voices coming from somewhere. Just as his body began to lose feeling the constricting ceased as suddenly as it had come, and it was all he could do from falling out off his perch. Little by little things fell into focus and the voices he heard were coming from below him.

  


Coughing and hacking he made his way down the massive tree which felt like an eternity, and the waves of nausea made his descent all the more time consuming. He hadn't realized he reached the bottom until a small weight plastered itself on his shoulder, and began chattering in his ear.

  


"Geez that toke you long enough, just how old are you anyway Inuyasha you moved down that tree like a fossil," the fox demon exclaimed. "Guess its easier going up then coming' down eh old man--"

  


The child was interrupted by Inuyasha's staggering movements as he braced his weakened body against a protruding root. His head spun for a moment creating colored dots in his line of vision, before a large figure found its way to his side and supported him. Looking up he stared into Miroku's face perplexed at why he was towering over him, and realized that he had slumped against him subconsciously.

  


"Your wound has reopened let us tend to that before anything else......don't argue with me Inuyasha we can't have you dripping blood all over the place and attracting unwanted guests."

  


Without further arguments he staggered to a place on the moist ground, and allowed himself to be treated. His companions thought he was finally beginning to cooperative, but truth be told he didn't have the strength to move let alone protest. Before slipping into a dreamless sleep his last thoughts were concerning the series of events that had occurred in the tree just moments ago.

  


_ 'What happened to me?... It was so sudden I didn't even have time to react.... I felt so defenseless... is this a trick of Naraku's?... I'll rip his head off if this is his doing!'_

  


--------------------

  


"How is he?" Kagome whispered to the monk facing the immobile figure sprawled on the ground.

  


"Well he's not hacking like a dying animal anymore," he replied with a small grin and received playful shove from the woman seated on his left him. "But I do wonder what caused this sudden...behavior, usually he doesn't get _this_ exhausted and disoriented the day after a battle."

  


"He hasn't been....poisoned has he?" She asked anxiously.

  


"No there is no trace of a poisonous matter entering his system. I don't understand though his wound looked completely healed, and then it just....reopens almost worse than before."

  


"He isn't in any immediate danger is he," Sango inquired walking around the tiny fire and joined the two sitting on the monks right side. 

  


"No, some rest and he should be fine by tomorrow at the very least."

  


"Well he's been sleeping ever since we got that bandage on him so he'll get more than enough sleep...but I guess were spending the night here again," Kagome sighed gazing at the late afternoon sky and groaned. "If I had known this would happen I would've brought an extra blanket...I gets really cold in this area."

  


"Yes it does," Sango shivered in response as a low gust crept through the trees. "I'm not one to complain but I too wish I had reminded you to bring an extra blanket with you."

  


"What do you need a blanket for when you have me? I can surely keep both of you warm in my _own_ way of course," Miroku suggested innocently while his not-so-innocent hands snaked their way around the two females either side of him. A loud cracking noise resounded and two red hand prints plastered the monks face.

  


"You really do have a death wish don't you," Kagome glowered untangling herself form his arm and scooted away from him.

  


"You filthy little...and you call yourself a 'holy-man'!" Sango seethed.

  


"Well what am I supposed to do when two gorgeous women plant themselves beside me? Don't tempt me like that its just mean," he replied still looking innocent. They continued bickering regardless of how close they were to a certain slumbering fur ball, and received a drawn out sigh from the on looking fox-child.

  


"Its a good thing Inuyasha sleeps like a dead-body 'cause they could be at it all night," Shippo groaned and laid back against his bushy tail watching them.

  
. . . . . . . . . . . . .   


Another pair of eyes besides Shippo's was also watching yet these eyes seemed glazed with blindness, and their dull lifeless appearance pierced through the wreathing smoke that surrounded it. Twisting its head to the side another noise besides arguing voices caught its attention, and a bird that could be described as a Raven toke flight along with the thick smoke encasing it leaving behind a multitude of long shadowed feathers.

  


It followed the noise audible only to its hearing flying away from the setting sun into the oncoming darkness, leaving a trail of dark smoke and feathers behind which evaporated like water on a heated surface. Scanning the area below it a tall dead tree came into view jutting up through the thick green foliage of the trees around. Its limbs were contorted into eerie shapes and it was scared with deep gashes, and it bent this way and that like a jagged spiral staircase.

  


The raven headed towards the top most branches towards a second figure wreathed in the same smoky substance as it was. Letting out a shrill cry it settled near the smoky mass and rocked uneasily on the its perch as the winds whipped around it dragged the darkened mist with it.

  


The mass of smoke quickly toke form and a woman's figure emerged from it. Her paled face, beautiful yet held a feral edge, was highlighted by thin deep crimson lips that spread in a small smirk. Her long dark hair flowed around her body mingling with the smoke from whence she appeared, when she moved so did her wreathing tresses. Her amber-red eyes glistened slightly at the arrival of her winged messenger, and she glided gracefully toward to its perch where it continued to rock uneasily.

  


"So my pet I trust you've done what was ordered of you, and paid a special visit to those two?" She inquired of the misty raven. Her voice was as soothing as water streaming over tumbled pebbles, yet could also inflict fear and pain like a savage whip.

  


The bird cawed hoarsely and spread its wings to keep its balance, and she laughed smoothly twirling a finger through her chaotic ever flowing long hair.

  


"Wonderful simply wonderful, oh but I do hope I didn't cause that poor dog boy too much pain, it just wouldn't do if something happened to him so early on in my plan now would it?" She asked to no one in particular but received another hoarse caw from the raven.

  


"Oh dear you don't sound very well today, if you get ill who will be my wings and my eyes into the far lands? There's no time for illnesses...they'll just have to wait until chaos....glorious chaos has had its chance to have a little fun with the mortals of this world," She sniffed contently.

  


"I just hate it when there's so much peace and tranquility," she sighed spiraling around the deceased monolith and sprawled over a large leafless limb. "That's why this world needs some like me."

  


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**Akida- **Good grief that took longer than I expected! If I didn't have writers block right in the middle of this story I would've put it up sooner....no the word "block" doesn't even describe it, "mountainous brain freeze" is more like it, because blocks are small....and.....mountains are big. Anyway, for those of you who have been stuck like glue to my other story ( My Dearest Miroku ). Fear not I shall continue with it! As a matter of fact, I think I'll spare you guys more waiting and start typing it up now....so don't hurt me.....

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sorry again for the hugely long wait

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Why are you still here? Go review you nice person who read this fic! Akida likes reviews! Go review! 


	2. Meetings and Partings

  


** Akida**-Look I finally updated! Rejoice! The earth has finally shifted, and this lazy author has gotten off the couch to type more of this story!......Well, actually I wasn't going to continue with this story....but for some reason it kept bugging me that I would be abandoning this perfectly good patch of plot. Also, I was a little more preoccupied with my other work....that I kind of....let this one go for a while. O.o 

  
Now then, onward with the saga!   


** -:-Disclaimer-:-** Fine.....I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters......but I do have a plan to abduct a certain silver haired dog-demon lord....my plan is fool proof, fool proof I say!

  


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**Lifeline**

**By: Akida**

**Meetings and Partings**

Dawn broke to an overcast layer of gray, and its light filtered weakly through the haze. Dew drops plunged noiselessly onto a carpet of green, and small creatures ventured cautiously from their dwellings.

  


Inuyasha faintly made out the sorrowful call of a Mourning dove and shifted groggily. Suddenly coming full awake clutching his injured side, and gasping at the quick stabs of pain issuing from it. Memories of the previous day flooded back all too quickly. He grimaced as he prodded his ribs gently, then turned his attention to the sleeping figures of his companions.

  


He rubbed at his ear and looked over the mist laden clearing, letting the memory of yesterday's events wash over him. Recalling the pain of suffocation, the helpless mind set that had come over him. He forced the idea at what could have become of him had the feeling not passed, and rubbed at his arms feeling cold and stiff.

  


_ Whatever the hell that was.....its gone....._

  


He forced his aching muscles to lift his body from the ground, feeling a chilled morning breeze brush against his chest. Realizing that the clothing on his upper body had vanished, he began searching for his thick fire-rat robe.

  


He found it, and dressed slowly staring around him, searching with his senses of the stench of any other demon in the area. He found none, and let himself relax some.

  


Walking towards the towering oak he ran a clawed finger in an aged jagged scar, most likely from a large demons claws or a sword slash from a battle long ago. He turned sharply at a noise coming behind him, and let tension ease away as Kagome lumbered drowsily over to him.

  


She stood beside him, yawned and said: "Good morning you....sleep well?"

  


She got a shallow grunt for a response.

  


She smiled stifling a yawn. "Well I'm going to make some ramen for breakfast....if you want some....you'll have to grovel for a few minutes," she said giving him a playful shove.

  


He followed her progress and watched as she dug through her bottomless bag, searching for enough ramen to feed a few demons and two humans who ate like demons. He wondered how she found anything in there, he sure as hell couldn't make anything of the jumbled mess.

  


The dog demon watched her for a moment longer, letting a thin smile crease his lips at the content, and cheery scent she gave off. He couldn't help but admire the human girl for feeling happy in this dangerous time of life. He felt a bit envious of how easily emotions flowed from her, while he had to put some serious effort into being sincere about anything.

  


Then again, he thought glumly, that was how he had survived up until this point. By shutting off emotions, he could deal with any situation. More over, no one could hurt him if he had no emotional weaknesses. Making himself a mental wall of cold steel was the only thing keeping his sanity. Without that, he was no better than a sniveling, lost, confused child.

  


He took one last look up at the tree, grumbling darkly at the thought of his ordeal the day before. Yawning absently he made his way over to the familiar smell of cooked noodles, and sat near a small fire that Sango feed now and then. He noticed the fire gave off little smoke, and silently commended the exterminator for accomplishing that.

  


Miroku emerged from the edge of the forest foliage with Shippo in tow. The monk wiped a sleeve over his damp face and toke a seat next to Inuyasha. He still looked like he needed more sleep, as did the rest of the group.

  


He remained silent staring at the flames of the small fire, and listening absently to its crackling mingle with that of the voices of their female companions. At length he turned slightly to his snowy haired friend.

  


"So.....now what do we do."

  


Inuyasha stared at him frowning.

  


"What do you mean 'now what do we do'?"

  


"Well...we'll have to be moving onward soon, so where are we going to next?"

  


Inuyasha nodded and closed his eyes sighing irritably. Their destinations where solely dependant upon following rumors of Shikon Jewel shards in various areas, but there hadn't been any indication as to where another one had turned up. He growled leaning back on an arm.

  


"Where are we going, how the hell should I know? You know as well as I do we've got no leads, so there isn't anywhere _to_ go."

  


Miroku cast a sidelong glance to his friend, said: "Well....it wouldn't hurt to spend the next night in a nice establishment....have a hot meal.....look over the local village women.....sleep in a bed instead of on wet grass," he said stopping to accept a bowl of warm noodles, and inhaled deeply taking a long draught of the warm broth. "But I guess I should just, shut up and count my blessings. It could be worse, we could be running for our lives for the Nth time."

  


Inuyasha raised his eyebrows taking in the logic of that statement, took a bowl from Kagome, and wolfed down its contents fixing his gaze on a patch of grass at his feet.

  


Miroku was right, it _could_ have been worse, and he knew in his condition fighting would be more bothersome unless he let himself heal.

  


"Well start looking for the nearest village as soon as were done here," he said gruffly finishing off the last of his ramen, and thrust it under Kagome's nose indicating he wanted more. She huffed and shot him an icy glare, snatched it from him, and refilled it emptying the last of the noodles into his bowl. It always happened. He always seemed to end up being the only one capable of weaseling in seconds.

  


They broke camp, gathered their belongings, and set off on a western course through the thick knot of trees and shrubs. Remnants of their battle area were present in the form of gashed trees, uprooted shrubs, and large areas of charred rubbish. 

  


Four days after leaving the oak tree clearing they finally broke through the seemingly endless forest, and made their way to the top of a hill on the outskirts of the woodland. Spreading out to scan the lands around them for a settlement, Inuyasha flinched at an irritation at the base of his neck, scratched at it, and resumed his search.

  


Shippo, perched on Sango's shoulder, pointed out the tell tale columns of smoke northwest of them. Setting a course for the columns, the group lumbered slowly down the hill and onward towards a beaten path just ahead of them.

  


As they traveled Inuyasha picked up a familiar scent amongst those of the many travelers that had passed through here on the path, but it was days old and had been covered up by the trails of other scents. And yet...

  


_ Why do I feel I should know this smell? Its so familiar and yet I can't pick out who or what it is....._

  


"Inuyasha?" Kagome said interrupting his thoughts. He turned to her and could read what she was thinking, without her saying a word.

  


"There's a scent somewhere on this path that I've encountered before, its a bit worn out but I know I've smelt it before.....numerous times I think," he said bluntly studying the faces of his companions.

  


"Could it be Naraku?" Miroku said shifting his weight.

  


"No," the dog-demon replied casting the monk a sidelong glance. "But it's definitely a demons scent no doubt about that."

  


"If its a demon then it could have been through here to that village," Sango said with a start as the group toke in the truth in those words.

  


With a decisive nod Inuyasha took off towards the settlement saying: "It better not be anyone I know 'cause it won't be pretty if that place is in shambles, and they've got the gall to stick around."

  


Inuyasha didn't mention it but he had a pretty good idea it was the smell of an inu-youkai, and there was only one inu-youkai he knew of who'd pull a slaughter fest on a human village. But what he couldn't figure out was why that familiar scent was so different. Something about it didn't sit well with him, and he was more concerned about figuring out that oddity than getting to that village in time.  


--------------------**))(( 3 Days Prior ))((**--------------------

  


Sesshomaru sat in a corner of his study amongst towers of paper piled in an organization only he could understand, fingers laced loosely together, starring at the wall to the right of the door. Light filtered weakly through a window on his left, and drew out the platinum highlights in his hair which was tied neatly at the base of his neck.

  


An old stained bookcase on his left held a multitude of books equal to the age of the case they rested in. They were arranged according to color, as his father had placed them in, and records of events and notes were placed towards the middle. 

  


Sesshomaru closed his eyes recalling the small conference he had had with the messenger...

  


~~*--------------------*~~

  


_ "Greetings Lord of the Western Lands, I am a mere nameless messenger sent from the eastern lands on an errand of great urgency. If you will allow it I would like very much to speak with you in private....or have I come at a time inconvenient for you?"_

  


"Time is all I have," Sesshomaru replied taking in the man at a glance.

  


Unlike most errand men, who were thin and light built, this particular one was as heavily set as a wall of bricks, and looked to be in his late 30's. Medium length brown hair, and sharp features with a few scars, gave the demon lord the impression that he'd seen more than his share of battles. Piercing yellow eyes, the trait of a beast taking human form, regarded him with a level of scrutiny not usually expressed to someone of his stature.

  


Keeping his aloof expression, Sesshomaru motioned to the messenger to follow him. Traveling down a long hallway rich in deep colored wood, he entered a room to his left and strode to the center of the room. He turned quickly to face his visitor, the long kimono of blue and green gathering around him.

  


They sat facing each other, and the demon lord noticed the tension in his messengers body language. The way he sat was stiff, and straight backed, as if forcing himself to be calm. He couldn't discern if he was agitated at being within his presence, but remained silent as he monitored him with his usual unwavering gaze. After a moment he grinned inwardly as his guest fidgeted and coughed nervously under his stare.

  


"Ahem....May I say that you are one of the first to receive the message I bring to you, but I must warn you it is only because you are the closest to harm my Lord."

  


"Oh..." Sesshomaru replied feigning a look of minor shock. "I'm in harms way. I suppose your going to inform of the nature of this....threat."

  


The messenger frowned and tilted his head and said: "My Lord this is no joking matter, I advise that you take this quite seriously. Many demon lords have died at the hands of this unknown menace, and although they were only minor losses, we thought it best to inform those of high profile."

  


Sesshomaru clenched his fist. The nerve of this man speaking to him as if he were a child! He had a right mind to reach over and throttle him, but instead kept his composure and vented his annoyance by tearing a small hole in the sleeve of his kimono. It just wouldn't do to have something that trivial ruffle his feathers, after all he did have an image to keep up...

  


"Hn. Then if its really that pressing perhaps you'd better get to the point and tell me," he replied.

  


With a nod he began: "Not too long ago, there have been sightings of strange demon activity in a few areas. Its hard to say if its concentrated in a particular spot, but what **is** know is that most of the trouble seems to be targeting demon lords. Upon investigation of one area, ash black feathers were found all over the castle grounds, and a thick smoke-like substance lingered in the air around the castle.--"

  


The first thought that came to Sesshomaru's mind was of Naraku, but then he couldn't explain the feathers, and from what he knew Naraku didn't seem like the kind of person that would go around killing demon lords. His specialty was mind-games.

  


"--Also, we are still unable to determine how the victims were killed. Most appeared as if they'd died in their sleep, no sign of a struggle, poison, or any other evidence of foul play."

  


He paused to look over at the demon lord, who's expression remained the same: detached.

  


"But, we have found a pattern in these killings. Not only were the demon lords killed, but also those very close to them such as a wife, a son or daughter. Both were usually found dead around the same time, and faded markings were found on similar parts of their bodies. They appeared to be tattoos, no, more like imprinted runes upon the skin of the victims. Other than this that is all that is known, and messengers like myself have been sent to those who may be in possible danger of the same fate."

  


Finishing his report he let himself relax somewhat, and let out a light sigh.

  


Sesshomaru kneaded the fabric of his clothing, sponging in the information he'd just received. Looking across at his messenger, he rose and walked towards the door without speaking to him. When he heard the heavy footfalls of the messenger catch up to him, he spoke:

  


"I suppose I should appreciate being cautioned of a possible threat to my life, but it is not necessary and I do not intend to follow any means of increasing protection to myself."

  


"But!" The messenger began but was sharply cut off.

  


"Don't confuse me with such weaklings! I didn't become who I am today by being afraid of every little threat that ventured my way!" He snapped turning his head slightly. "There is nothing that can stand in my way, nothing stands in the way of the Lord of the Western lands!"

  


~~*--------------------*~~

  


Sesshomaru had left the study after the air space seemed to be pressing in on him, and he now wandered through the garden Rin had lovingly tended to. He stopped and caught a cherry blossom as it made its descent, glanced at it momentarily, then released it as the wind carried it from his hand.

  


Reaching up to rub at a bothersome area on the side of his neck, he stopped as his fingers encountered the raised irritated section that had caused most of his moodiness. He had first noticed it one night while combing out a lock of hair, and his mind immediately went to the words the messenger had spoken. 

  


_ "They appeared to be tattoos, no, more like imprinted runes upon the skin...."_

_ "Not only were the demon lords killed, but also those very close to them such as a wife, a son or daughter..."_

  


He fingered the area which for now was a small raised circle, and paced through the gardens in a trance. Although she wasn't a son, a daughter or a wife, Rin was still someone who was closer to him than anyone else, and the thought that she too might be tangled in a mess like this made him sick. She didn't deserve to be dragged into this, and he slowly realized what he had to do.

  


A familiar voice sang out his name, cutting off his thoughts, and a knot formed in his chest:

  


"Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin called out as she rounded a towering tree. She wore the same plum colored kimono, and braided hair with its loosely tied red ribbon. Catching sight of him her face lit up instantly and she jogged over to him.

  


"Ma! So here's where you've been hiding," she said. "I was worried about you, you know. You haven't really been yourself lately, and....well....after that messenger left you've been.......a little distant."

  


Sesshomaru's cold expression faltered and showed guilt and sorrow twisting at his. He knew what she was thinking, she'd shown this concern more than once. She was rethinking her place as his companion, that maybe he wouldn't want a human around him anymore. That he'd disappear one day.

  


What hurt more was that that was what he intended to do; disappear. For her sake he would fade away only to protect her from a death that hung over his head, an inevitable fate that had somehow against all odds found its way to him. It was only a matter of time before he too was taken, and when that happened Rin would be alone again....

  


Without thinking he closed the distance between them, and enveloped her slender startled body in his strong arms, burying his nose in her russet locks breathing deeply the scent of Jasmine that intoxicated his senses. He never wanted to forget her scent, for soon it may be the only thing that he'd remember her by.

  


Rin nearly forgot to breath as she was pressed against the one she'd adored her entire life. Her face flushed as warm air graced close to her ear, and felt lightheadedness turn the world fuzzy.

  


"Sesshoma-..... Ano-....anata-.....ehh....." She stuttered as the power of speech left her, and her heart hammered against her chest threatening to burst through her rib cage.

  


"Rin, there is no need to worry yourself so much, it doesn't suit someone like you. I'll be going away for a while and I regret that I can't take you with me this time-"

  


"Neh?! Doshite?!-" Rin began protesting but was silenced as Sesshomaru placed two fingers over her lips, causing her to turn a different shade of red as she found herself entranced by piercing amber orbs.

  


"I don't know when I'll return but I want you to do something for me in my absence. I want you to smile Rin. Smile each and every day that your alive. Just keep smiling Rin, just keep smiling.....for me if no one else. " 

  


Breaking his embrace he turned and strode towards the line of forest that skirted the grounds about 40 yards away, and he kept walking eyes trained forward as his throat tightened. He didn't look back, he didn't want to see her face streaked with confused tears as he left.

  


He was running away, running away like a dog with its tail between its legs, yet that was all he could do. He felt somewhere inside him that by leaving, Rin may escape this threat unharmed since it targeted demon lords in general, it was possible that by some spark of luck it would only claim his life.

  


With golden eyes fixed on the lands before him he leapt into the air vanishing into the foliage of the woodlands heading to the east, and thus the Lord of the Western Lands disappeared and was never seen or heard from thereafter. All save one witnessed his retreat, one human girl dressed in lavender.

  


--------------------**))(( Returning to the Present ))((**--------------------

  


Walking through the village was doing a number on Inuyasha's nerves. Not only was their no sign of a demon attack, but the village looked virtually untouched as if it hadn't passed by here. The people crowded the streets and cast their usual wary glances as he passed, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He turned as Sango returned from her small scout of the area.

  


"Nothing," Sango began catching her breath. "Not one missing person. Either our demon was blind or it left the path far before it came to this place."

  


Inuyasha shook his head, said: "No that's not possible, that scent is at least a few days old and it doesn't divert from the path to this village." His eyes shifted and he continued: "Either our demon really was blind, or it just didn't feel like slaughtering anyone."

  


"On the contrary Inuyasha," Miroku added in as he came from the opposite direction Sango had come. "I've spoken to a few of these people and they say a demon has passed through here.....and is still here as we speak."

  


Inuyasha stiffened. Kagome cast a glance at his obvious display of tension and said to Miroku: "Did they say where the demon is? What it looks like?"

  


Miroku hesitated and looked over the faces of his companions, then replied: "They've described this demon to have a cold expression, golden eyes, and platinum hair...."

  


"Its Sesshomaru!" Shippo gasped. "What the heck is he doing here, in a place full of humans?! Why hasn't he done anything like kill them or...or something?!"

  


Clenching his fists and letting a low growl escape saying: "I don't know what the hell he's doing here, but I swear I'll tear him to shreds when I see him! He can't be trusted in a place like this, not with all these people around!"

  


"Miroku," he snapped. "Where is he! Take me to him!"

  


"I'm way ahead of you," the monk replied as he motioned the group to follow him.

  


He toke them through a series of dirt streets, and they pushed and jostled people out of the way, ignoring their shouts and curses. After passing through a maze of paths the area around them began to look shabbier, as they wound up in a string of alleys and tightly packed dwellings. Miroku slowed his pace and tried to recall the location of their adversary, from the fragmented bits of information he'd gathered.

  


He stopped in front of a tiny dwelling that could have been mistaken for a mid-sized shack, turned to the group with his eyes locked with Inuyasha's, and nodded towards the dilapidated wooden door.

  


Pacing over to it, the unmistakable rain and lilac scent of his half-brother hanging heavily in the air, he gripped the gap between the door and its frame. Taking a breath and waiting for the cluster of people behind him to ready their weapons, he slide the door open and squinted into the thick darkness, broken by the small square of light he'd allowed inside.

  


He waited momentarily before stepping inside and searched for any sign of life in that deathly still room. Movement to his left made him start and a hand instinctively grasped the hilt of his sword, he shook his head as his friends began to take up their places beside him.

  


The light outside shifted as a cloud removed itself from obscuring the suns light, and a window next to the door poured light on an occupied section of the wall Inuyasha faced. A figure dressed in a plain blue robe sat on a rush mat with a head of silver silk, and demonic ambers eyes placed in a pale porcelain face. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he found the blue crescent moon on his forehead and elfin ears hiding amongst the platinum cascade of hair.

  


"Inuyasha what a surprise to see you here," Sesshomaru began coolly as he centered his focus on his half-breed brother. "I had a feeling we'd meet again very soon."

  


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** Akida**- Lookie lookie! I finally finished the second chapter and darn did it seem long to me......but then again it always seems longer when I'm actually typing it out. Yeah, well stuff came up and I was unable to get on with the more fun part of my life, but here I is! Please review for meh folks, it boosts my self-esteem by about 4 points!

  



	3. Stuck on You! Like Paper and Glue!

** Akida: **Blegh, I apologize for that huge block of absence, a lot of....err.....weird crap came up and all of my creative juices were sucked dry by the Creative Juice Eating Parasite. That and some strange events occurring at home have been interfering with my writing. Anyways! another installment brought to you by your friendly (lazy-ass) author!

** -:-Disclaimer-:-** ::Glares at the lawyers standing around the room:: I'm not saying it! You can forget it, I refuse to comply sick twisted little games! ::torture noises involving monkeys and Telle Tubies are heard.....much pained screaming.:: Never! I'll never give in! Death before conformity!!

**Lifeline**

**By: Akida**

**Stuck on You! Like Paper and Glue!**

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The light outside shifted as a cloud removed itself from obscuring the suns light, and a window next to the door poured light on an occupied section of the wall Inuyasha faced. A figure dressed in a plain blue robe sat on a rush mat with a head of silver silk, and demonic ambers eyes placed in a pale porcelain face. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as he found the blue crescent moon on his forehead and elfin ears hiding amongst the platinum cascade of hair.

"Inuyasha what a surprise to see you here," Sesshomaru began coolly as he centered his focus on his half-breed brother. "I had a feeling we'd meet again very soon."

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The area outside of the shack had been deserted within a matter of seconds. No living breathing creature could be heard, seen, or smelt. Even the insects had vacated the premises for safer ground.

Inside the foreboding shack, the tension in the air caused by the two rivals, was beginning to suffocate the humans in the area....literally. Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Shippo watched their snowy haired companion as he squared off against his seated half brother, looking very much the high and mighty ass that he could be somtimes.

"Bastard, what the hell do you think _your_ doing here?! Your smelling up the air with your stench!" Inuyasha barked hair raising steadily.

"Tch, how rude of _you_ of all people to scoff at my bodily odor, or perhaps its your scent that you've picked up and found distasteful. Besides I don't have to explain my motives or intentions to an insignificant pest such as yourself. You sully the air with your presence."

A vein popped out of the hanyou's head, this just hadn't been a good couple of days at all. Being nearly ripped to shreds by a low level demon was a huge blow to his ego, and on top of that his sides still flamed with pain, and that infuriating irritation on his neck was starting to get on his nerves.

Fueled by these irritations that seemed to follow him like a gaggle of unwanted ragamuffins, he drew his sword as it transformed upon release, and destroyed the wall and hopefully his brother with an angry howl.

Sesshomaru, however, had waltzed this little jig before and he nonchalantly faded through the wall to his right. He tilted his head trying to figure out how he'd melded through the wall like that, but decided to deal with it later and return to the field of battle for now. Surveying the damage done to his temporary shelter, he watched his half brother crash through the ceiling and land in front of him.

He shook his head disapprovingly: "Inuyasha you really should watch that temper of yours, you wouldn't want to be branded a mindless savage....even though that's all you'll ever be--"

"SHUT UP!!" Inuyasha threw his weight into the sword and aimed to turn his brother into a bloody splotch.

"Tsk tsk," Sesshomaru chuckled taking to the air to avoid his brothers inartistic sword stroke, and closed the distance between them grabbing him around the neck, squeezing mercilessly. "You really ought to watch where you swing that oversized stick....you could put someone's eye out."

With one fluid twist of the arm he vaulted his brother into a nearby wall, and smiled broadly at the sickening crunch of a body in contact with a hard surface. He flinched quickly as a searing shot of pain ran down the dorsal side of his body, and he shook his shoulders to relieve it. He sidestepped an oncoming holy arrow, glaring at the raven haired girl who's eyes held an unwavering strength, and sent a wave of poison slithering towards her.

"Kagome! Look out!" Miroku cried as he ran to her and cast a shielding barrier about them. The demonic substance collided with the barrier, hung for a second, then bounded back to its astonished caster who narrowly escaped being killed by his own attack. The monk stared at the used and tattered spell scroll and raised an eyebrow. "Wow....so that's what this ones for!"

Sesshomaru leapt to the air to avoid being hit, not wanting to know if his converted attack could really kill him, but he couldn't avoid the flashing arc of light from his left side. He gave a low growl as the unmistakable sword bit into his left shoulder, ripping his arm clean off _again_.

"Ha! How do ya like them apples eh mutt breath?!" Inuyasha mocked as he recoiled to aim another blow at his head.

"Be silent and know your place mongrel!" Sesshomaru hissed and clawed at Inuyasha's eyes sending enough venom through his talons to kill off a herd of elephants. Hearing the satisfying scream of pain he grasped a handful of his brothers white main and slammed his head into the ground.

He stood over his brothers twitching body, raising his remaining arm to deliver the final blow cracking his fingers in anticipation, and smiling at the futile shouts of his friends as they rushed towards him trying to prevent the inevitable. Oh yes, victory was oh so sweet, and he relished it a bit longer before he let out a manic burst of laughter and plunged his claws through the air towards his brothers unprotected chest.

Then the searing pain returned and ripped a hole into his skull and behind his eyes, and he let out a yowl as he dug his fingers into his head staggering away from his brother, grinding his teeth as a throbbing sensation clouded his vision and floaters swam in front of his eyes. He fell to one knee as he felt the suffocating presence return and constrict his throat, and pawed at his throat trying in vain to let oxygen into his burning lungs.

His body convulsed as blood dripped from his mouth and his eyes rolled back into his head, and somewhere mocking laughter ran through his mind. The world was darkening and he thought this an unsightly way to die for a demon lord.

Then the pain cleared up and the strangling sensation ceased, and he coughed the remaining bits of blood from his mouth and throat, doubling up on his side and attempting to rise. A similar hacking noise sounded from his right and he turned to watch as his half brother staggered to his feet, spitting out blood and breathing haggardly. Inuyasha's eyes came into focus yet they still watered from coming into contact with the venom, and he rubbed at them as his ears twitched. Sesshomaru eyed him, then a presence and a shrill cawing noise above him caught his attention.

"My my, brothers shouldn't fight as you two do. Whatever happened to the spirit of brotherly love hn," sweet feminine voice sounded from above the inu-yokai.

The woman before Sesshomaru was wreathed in black smoke and swallowed up everything around her, and her curvaceous body seemed born from the misty substance. Her pale face and ruby red lips accented her feral red cat-like eyes. Her long ash black hair was the picture of chaos, as it coiled around her like millions of tiny snakes. A black bird materialized from her shoulder with a loud sucking cracking noise, as if it had come from her very bones and flesh, which was most likely the case.

"Forgive me for putting you through such grueling pain, but what can I say, I just can't stand it when people don't get along," she laughed ascending from her lofty height and striding over to the two brothers.

Sesshomaru hadn't noticed it before but the environment around them had gone deathly still and dark, and observed the frozen forms of Inuyasha's companions in various states of rushing to aid their fallen friend. He sniffed irritably and rose into his aristocratic stance despite the discomfort that it caused.

"And you are?"

"Ah forgive me for my rudeness, you may call me Ananya, Lord of the Western Lands; Sesshomaru and your dear sweet half brother Inuyasha." She grinned as they each took a step back, the later drawing out Tetsusaiga and holding it behind his head ready for a striking blow. "Oh my don't look so taken aback, I make it my business to know things like this my darlings."

"Feh, your just nothing but a worthless--!"

"**Silence!!**" She screamed sending a shock wave towards the hanyou which made him twist with pain as his body was assailed by all manners of torture. He drove his sword into the ground to steady his weakened body, and glanced over at his shuddering brother, trying to make sense of their predicament and why would Sesshomaru appear to be in such pain as him?

"Aw, I'm terribly sorry Sesshy I didn't mean to hurt you too." Ananya said gliding over and cupping his chin in her hand, smiling angelically as he growled at her realizing that he was paralyzed from sharing his brothers 'sympathy pains'. "Its just that I have a touchy spot for lesser people who think they've the right to insult me. You understand how I feel right sweetheart?"

"Get your hands off me you damn wench, throat removal is my specialty," he replied in an icy tone that could freeze hell.

She threw her head back and laughed to the heavens, then turned to give him a predatory gaze. "Your cute when your angry." Then she frowned as she surveyed the damage to his shoulder where a bloody stump remained of his latest prosthesis. "Aw you poor baby, that must get in the way now and then hm? Well I can fix that for you."

Snaking her hand inside the folds of his robes and gripping his shoulder tightly, ignoring the hissing sounds coming from the severely pissed off demon, she closed her eyes channeling her energy through him causing a tingling sensation to creep down the inu yokai's shoulder and envelope the area in a soft green glow. Gasping sharply he felt the muscles, tendons, tissue and bone snapping and squirming away from his body. He stared in slight awe as bones reconstructed themselves, tendons reattached, muscles began appearing and interlacing. Pale porcelain skin seemed to grow from the newly regenerated arm, and familiar red markings etched into his hand and sharp claws sprouted from his fingertips.

She removed her hand from his robes smirking at his expression, as he flexed his stiff yet movable fingers and arm, then leanied her crimson lips close to his ear whispering: "You'll thank me for it later sweetie, an arm is a terrible thing to waste."

Rising and walking a few feet away from them, hips swaying, she turned and said: "But I'm sure your more interested in your situation huh? Well then allow me to explain."

"I'm sure your both curious about that nasty little irritation on your necks," she nodded knowingly as the looks of recognition passed over their faces. "That's what I'd like to call a 'sympathy itch' and no matter how much you scratch it it'll never go away....unless I will it that is."

"That little itch is going to turn into a nice little tattooed collar of runes, " she said smiling as the said runes became spidery black imprints making slow progress around their necks, and she chuckled as Inuyasha clawed frantically at his neck. Sesshomaru merely closed his eyes and concentrated his demonic strength into transformation and decided that turning their unwanted guest into a satisfying meal was in order.

"What the hell is this?! _Augh! this stuff burns! _" Inuyasha cursed loudly, glared at her for a minute, the gripped his sword fiercely. "Well since your obviously pulling the strings here, then all I have to do is kill you first!!"

"Ah ah ah, temper temper," Ananya said lashing his arms to the ground with thin smoky strands, and pried his hands from Tetsusaiga. "Tut tut, its rude to attack people when they're trying to have a decent conversation. Now sit still and be a good little doggy."

She smiled at the numerous veins popping out of his head, then turned to Sesshomaru who was now in a similar "lashed to the ground" position minus the smoky tendrils. Somehow his transformation had been cancelled by his invisible restraints that he guessed were somehow tied to Inuyasha...how this was possible he couldn't comprehend....yet.

"Now then where was I? Oh yes I was explaining your dire predicament. Its common knowledge that the body cannot exist without the soul, and so the same applies to the soul not being able to exist in a tangible form if the body dies. Those runes around your necks will fuse your souls together and you two shall become one, in a matter of speaking, and your actions will be solely dependant on the other."

"So, Sesshomaru if you do intend to continue trying to kill your cute little brother, then you'd die along with him since you will both be sharing the same soul in a matter of minutes, pain and all." 

Sesshomaru smirked. "If it would rid the world of this abomination then I would gladly fade from existence." He smirked cracking his knuckles as Inuyasha glared holes into his body. If looks could kill, then the platinum haired bishounen would be dead 3 times over.

"That's too bad Sesshy, I'm sure there would be someone who would miss you dearly and weep over your dead body....perhaps that girl you left behind at your residence? I'm sure she'd be very upset, wouldn't she?" She said watching the flit of emotions run across the stoic faced demon. "And Inuyasha, I'm sure that raven haired school girl from the future would be equally distressed if you died as well, imagine all the heartbreak you two would cause just by wanting to destroy each other. Its a bit melodramatic but facts are facts."

The two brothers exchanged unreadable looks as the spider like runes finished their trek around the necks of their victims. The irritated itching became a sudden flame of finality, then cooled and remained imprinted into the skin for all the world to see. Turning back to the grinning demoness the weight of the situation finally sank in, and another delicate thread of freedom had been severed leaving emptiness in its wake.

"Well boys I believe my work is done here, and please don't hold a grudge against me. I believe this will be a wonderful learning experience don't you? Seeing as you can't kill each other because of a few, discrepancies, I guess your forced to accept the fact that if you want to survive your going to have to rely on each other from now on......Oh please don't look at me with those faces.....you'll make me feel guilty!"

And with a flurry of manic laughter the impenetrable mists surrounding her body enveloped her and dispersed with the wind, carrying her eerie cackles in its wake as well as the harsh caws of the shadowy raven. The sky returned to its overcast hue, and life slowly thrummed into play as if nothing had interrupted its routine. However, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha remained locking eyes, sifting through their encounter, and very aware of the dark runes that created a binding connection between them. Life just couldn't get any better could it?

--------------------

"**Damnit all!! Why does everything have to happen to me**!!" Inuyasha howled punching a hole through the wooden floor of their current residence. "**Damn that witch.**"

"Inuyasha calm down for pete's sake!! And quite punching holes into the floor, this isn't our house you know!! And I'm not going to tell the owner your mentally insane **again**! That excuse only works once!" Shippo yelled clenching his fists angrily.

"Shippo's right Inuyasha," Miorku said calmly sipping at a warm bowl of broth. "We don't have the funds to pay for your damages....besides....do you have any idea how long and hard I had to appeal to the lord of this residence just to let us sleep in _one_ room and have _one_ meal for _one_ night?! Its not easy you know!"

Sango rubbed at the overly protruding vein in her companions head, wondering if it was possible to pop a blood vessel just by anger alone. "We understand your frustration Inuyasha, but could you please not vent it on material objects that have a very significant value to some people? If you want to throw a tantrum go outside and cut down a few trees, I'm sure our host would appreciate the extra firewood....."

"**Are you even listening to my side of the story?! Your not the one with a friggin tattoo of death stamped into your skin are you?! I'm entitled to being pissed off right now, so shut up and leave me the hell alone!!--**"

"**You.....Go.....Outside.......Chop trees.....NOW!!**" Sango twitched with rage and raised her boomerang over her head, threatening to pulverize the wide eyed hanyou at her feet. She jabbed a finger savagely at the open door, and watched him scurry out on all fours.

"Wow.....I wish I could do that once in a while," Shippo said shakily looking over to the now passive exterminator calmly sipping at a cup of tea as if nothing happened.

"And that's the scary thing about Sango....she lashes out with no prior warnings at all.....then reverts back to the mild mannered exterminator." Miroku said massaging his head wincing from the lump making its home there. "Speak softly and carry a large boomerang."

Kagome remained oblivious to the events around her, being more fixated on the frustrated account that Inuyasha had dictated to them about his dilemma. She sighed as the tell tale cracking and crashing sounds from outside signified Inuyasha's commencement of his labor. She turned the pro's and con's of the binding around:

1; Inuyasha and Sesshomaru were not going to kill each other anymore, hopefully. 2;They most likely had to remain together in order to ensure that neither brother died 3; They now were going to be at each other's throats for the rest of the binding, and were going to drive each other up the wall.

She nodded her head as if making some inward decision, got up from her seat on the mat, and walked outside with a set jaw as she formed what she wanted to speak to the two homicidal brothers about.

--------------------

::CRASH::

"Damn it! Why me of all people?! Why is it never anyone else?! What the hell did I do to anybody!!" Inuyasha yelled as he cut cleanly into another tree watching it topple to the lush bronzed grass of late afternoon. Picking his next target he demolished its base letting out a quick yelp as something heavy slammed into his head, landing a few feet away from him.

"I really wish you wouldn't vent your anger in such a savage manner little brother," Sesshomaru said flicking a strand of silver hair from his face. "But then again, I guess its only in the nature of a lesser demon to feel so angry at ones inferior status."

Inuyasha growled furiously barring a few fangs, and ignoring the large throbbing lump on the back of his head.

"**Seeeesshoooomaruuuu!!**"

"Oh hush you mongrel your very voice grates on my nerves," he cut in smoothly bounding onto another perch and reclining against its trunk. "And I would appreciate you not disturbing me anymore....why don't you attend to your _duties_ out of my earshot?"

"You know what? I'm getting sick and tired of your arrogant ass, strutting around like you own everything!!" Inuyasha said placing a twitching hand on the hilt of his sword.

"And I'm a little tired of you addressing me as if we were equals. You should know that your place is among the humans you care for and protect so dearly....even the name half breed doesn't suit you.... you might as well be a complete human with the way your dirty blood flows."

"Fine!! We'll see who laughs last after I've gutted you like the swine you are!!" The enraged boy yelled drawing his sword and charging at the tree his brother occupied.

"Feh, you won't amount to much if you keep barking the same things over and over." Sesshomaru retorted sneering at him, cracking the claws on his newly regenerated arm wondering if the venom would pack an extra punch.

"**STOP IT ALREADY!! YOU GUYS ARE RIDICULOUS!!**"

They both stopped in mid attack and turned to stare at the shrill female voice. Kagome panted at her exertion of voice and stood straight after she'd gotten their attention. Now the hard part, finishing what she wanted to say under the scrutiny of two pairs of very scary looking eyes.

"Erm....well," she began shifting her weight uneasily. She'd dealt with Inuyasha, but Sesshomaru always looked like he was going to tear your head off at any moment. "You heard what that demon woman said, if you fight each other then all you'll be doing is hurting yourselves..." She decided to appeal to Inuyasha since she'd have a better chance. "So please, don't fight, your lives are solely dependant on each other now....and....I don't want to see either of you hurt because of such a stupid little binding spell......Its not worth it...."

She trailed off looking at the ground trying her best to look forlorn and depressed instead of on the verge of bashing her stubborn friends head in. A noise caught her attention and she looked up, smiling as the hanyou sheathed his blade.

"Feh, whatever. As long as I don't have to see you whine and start up the waterworks I'll let my idiot brother live for a while longer."

"Ugh, that sounds almost hilarious coming from you." Sesshomaru scoffed leaping into another tree and leaned against it with a sickened look on his face as he watched the boy catch fire.

"Aw shut up! This is your fault anyway you damn dog!!"

"_MY_ FAULT?!"

"YES! _Your_ fault. That Ananya woman must be after you for something seeing as she had all the time in the world to mess around with me!! What did you do?! Rape her sister?! Masticate a relative or two, or seven?! Or is she some sort of concubine of yours you tried to kill off and now she wants revenge?!" He narrowly missed a huge branch as it impacted in the spot where he previously occupied it. Kagome shivered and turned her head towards an impaled piece of earth, seeing how close it had came to tearing off her head.

"**You dare accuse me of such vile acts?! Screw this curse, I'm going to do the world a favor and wipe your filthy hide from existence!!**" Sesshomaru snarled eyes glowing red as he gripped the hilt of his sword, feeling demonic strength seep into his soul.

"**Yeah I've heard that one before! Bring it bitch!!**" 

"**SIIIIIT!!!**"

::MOOSH:: "Augh!! **Damnit Kagome what the hell?!"**

"**Shut it Inuyasha! Or I'll say _it_ again**--" 

::CRACK::

".......::CRACK::?......" Kagome and Inuyasha stared at each other exchanging equally bewildered looks and turned their heads to stare at the compressed form of a very familiar figure. He lay sprawled out on the ground in Inuyasha's trademark "::MOOSH::" pose eating dirt. Kagome rose and slowly backed away from the platinum haired demon.

"Oh my...go-" She said eyes wide with surprise as the dirt smudged face of Sesshomaru, the almighty Lord of the Western Lands, lifted and blew a strand of loose hair from his face. Inuyasha twitched once before breaking out in manic fits of laughter and rolling over onto his side as huge tears welled in his eyes.

"Hahah....That's the--gahahah--funniest---ahahahah!! Hilarious!!----ahahah!!" He gasped pounding the earth with a fist attempting to stand but fell over once again.

"Oh my goodness Sesshomaru! I am _soooo_ sorry! I had no idea that would happen!" Kagome said as her eyes went swirly as he propped his head up with an arm trying not to kill her with his icy glare.

"What's going on out here! Can't a body get some decent rest around here?!" Miroku shouted stomping through the door and into the night followed by Sango and Shippo who were equally annoyed. "You people sound like your moving a herd of-- what the--?"

"What happened out here?!" Sango finished for him as she surveyed the wreckage of several tall trees and two sprawled imprints on the ground, one of them still occupied and a snickering Inuyasha trying a pitiful attempt at standing upright, and staggered around like a drunkard when he did manage the upright position.

"I-I don't know," Kagome said kneeling a little ways away from the yokai that was popping a few veins. "I guess now that they share souls Inuyasha's 'Si--er--'command' is passed along between them somehow.....But I'm really sorry about that Sesshomaru I had no idea it was going to effect you too, and I wish I could reverse this somehow and--Eek!"

She let out a short squeak and fell back away from the rising demon as he dusted off his robes and huffed: "I suppose this is what you would call irony hn? In any case I've lost interest in our little chat little brother." And with that he leapt off into the night and disappeared within seconds. They all stood there for a few moments watching in the direction the demon had just left into, and looked at Kagome slowly. She cringed whimpering slightly.

"Whaaaaat? I swear I didn't know that was gonna happen....hoooonest."

"Well I'm not quite sure if this is a change for good or for worse," Miroku began sighing tiredly. "But at least we don't have to worry about him slitting our throats while we sleep.....I hope." They all nodded too exhausted to say anything else and trickled back inside the room, welcoming a long much needed sleep. Kagome watched as Inuyasha brought up the rear and stopped him with her gaze, he blinked still looking a little wobbly after his laughing fit, than walked past her dragging a clawed hand down her arm beckoning her inside. She resisted for a moment, look back behind her, then followed him stretching her arms above her head with a yawn.

_ Its going to be an interesting day tomorrow....._

** Akida:** Wai! Lookie updated chapter!! Alright I'm on a roll now, and I'm even half way done with planning out the next course of events in chapter 4! ::Cries waterfalls:: ::sniff:: I'm freee....freee from the disease called writers block that eats at you brains....::cries::...Somebody really does love me up there!!!

** Sesshy:** -.-;; Idiot

** Akida:** Aw, don't feel bad Fluffy...they're plenty of people who love you down here too!!

::Sessh screams as a mob of rabid fangirls chase him in circles attempting to rip his clothes off::

** Akida:** O.o ......oooo....maybe a little...._too_ much love. I guess enough of it can actually kill you....eventually...


	4. I'm having issues

**Akida**: Gah! I've returned both to writing and updating and from a very busy summer. I guess it also doesn't help that I went to Italy for a week, and now I can't remember what the hell I wrote for the last few chapters. Its an awesome place, if you ever get a chance to in your lifetime go and mingle with the Italians! Hell they had to practically drag me onto the plane trip home, mostly because I forgot all my nifty ideas. Phooey! Anyways, I'm still not sure where I want this story to go so bear with me. Also I'd like to thank you all for being so patient with me. Writing two stories at once is a real stretch of the mind for me, especially when one story almost solely revolves around the human psyche. Ugh, psychological stuff is evil!

**Galandria the Vampire Queen**: Look I updated! .

**Moonyasha**: 0.0 Yes ma'am! Err Sir? Eh.....just gonna stop right now .

**Jenn**: Aw gee, thanks a lot. By the way...Jenn...jenn...Might your name be Jennifer? .o

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Inuyasha yadda yadda, but I'll bet you anything that if I did I would be a bagillionaire!!

))((----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------))((

**Lifeline**

**By: Akida**

**"I'm having issues."**

-----------------------------------------------------

"Well I'm not quite sure if this is a change for good or for worse," Miroku began sighing tiredly. "But at least we don't have to worry about him slitting our throats while we sleep.....I hope."

They all nodded too exhausted to say anything else and trickled back inside the room, welcoming a long much needed sleep. Kagome watched as Inuyasha brought up the rear and stopped him with her gaze, he blinked still looking a little wobbly after his laughing fit, than walked past her dragging a clawed hand down her arm beckoning her inside. She resisted for a moment, look back behind her, then followed him stretching her arms above her head with a yawn.

_Its going to be an interesting day tomorrow....._

-----------------------------------------------------

Sesshomaru flinched as something sharp and pointy bit into his left arm. Groggily he opened a sleep veiled eye and glared irritably at the tiny white mouse chewing at his arm. He wasn't happy at all. He'd had a terrible night trying to erase the utter humiliation at being subject to the same curse as his half-brother, and the mere fact that the command of subjugation turned out to be 'Sit' of all things struck a nerve.

He'd never been so infuriated in his entire life...well...almost. However that wasn't the point! The point was that _he_, the Great Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands, had been _sat_ like some domesticated house mutt! He vented most of his anger on a few inanimate, and animate objects, and promptly collapsed into a tense ball of nerves, claws flexing and extending and teeth making a bloody tear in his lip.

The more rational part of himself felt childish, but his other half, which was most dominant at the moment, thrashed around kicking and screaming. The last thing he remembered was dozing off with his warm fuzzy tail ( It is a tail right?...That fuzzy thing he carries? ) tightly wrapped around him, and desperately forcing himself to think of happy things; Like killing humans....and mutilating villagers...and tearing bloody chunks of flesh off something or someone piece by excruciating piece.

Now as the realization that he'd gone to sleep in the middle of a wet thicket hit him, he felt even more displeased with himself and he wondered how he'd lost his carefully guarded composure so easily. Another sharp pain on his left arm brought him out of his reverie, and he raised his head and carefully looked over at the two mice who were contently chewing at the demon.

This puzzled him. Surely they could sense the danger they were in and he narrowed his eyes at them and hissed, feeling very much violated at being their new chew toy. One of them had the good sense to turn tail and scurry off further into the thicket and away from the large body, but the other mouse stayed and stared into his golden eyes with its nose snuffling his arm as if it hadn't realized he was alive. Tilting his head the silver haired demon slowly brought his claws down over the tiny animal, however instead of squeaking in terror it began licking his fingers and the demon lord smiled despite himself.

_You silly little thing...I could kill you if I wanted to...All I'd have to do is crush your pathetic life out of existence in my hands, and that would be the end of you..._

Sesshomaru scratched behind its ears and in response it crawled closer to him, pressing its soft nose to his arm and smelling him experimentally. He frowned feeling that there was some kind of hidden meaning in this display, that this mouse was somehow apart of a twisted representation of some part of his life. Yet however interesting this whole thing was, he was also very aware of other things exploring his body and he growled as something started feasting on his ear.

Pulling himself into a painful sitting position brought on by the result of sleeping in a bramble bush, he crawled slowly out of his temporary shelter and into the warm light ahead of him. A lush damp clearing greeting him and he flopped onto his back to bask in the heated and cooled waves that passed over his sore body. After a moment he stood much more easily and stretched with all the grace of a sleepy cat, then observed his surroundings as he picked dead leaves and twigs from his hair and clothing.

He easily found the scents of his brother and his companions drifting along the breeze, and made a calculation that they were a few miles north of him. He stopped suddenly and cast a look behind himself as he regarded his tiny white companion, nose twitching incessantly as it sat on its hind legs as if waiting for him to acknowledge it. The demon nodded at the little animal and could have sworn it had nodded back at him. Without a second thought to it he lifted himself into the trees and began steadily making his way back to the small shelter.

As he bounded through the air the trees and the landscape becoming a blur beneath him, the word "Food" popped into his head out of nowhere.

He would never admit it but he was hungry, very hungry and he had a feeling that the acid in his stomach was eating away at the walls, and just his luck that there wasn't anything around to kill. He'd have to settle for whatever food was provided by the humans who had allowing them to use their cramped guest room, but right now it didn't really matter what he ate as long as it looked semi edible.

The next word that bombarded his mind was "Bath", and he didn't even want to think about the things crawling over his body. He twitched suddenly as a large pinch flared from his sides, and he swatted at it instinctively narrowly missing colliding with a tree due to the distraction.

_Ugh...I just want to crawl out of my skin right now..._

--------------------

"Oh wow! Thank you so much! I-I really don't know what to say!"

"There's no need to say anything dear, were just glad to help a few travelers on their way."

Kagome smiled broadly at the short, brown haired middle aged woman, eyes sparkling gratefully. The lady had provided a feast fit for an army, and she wasn't sure how to thank her enough. Until this moment, she'd been living off of ramen, potato chips, the occasional cookie, and soda. She sweat dropped as her stomach made its joy known.

"Hee hee, you'd better eat up everything before your stomach gets any angrier. You can leave the dishes outside the door when your finished." She said bowing shallowly. She was about to leave when a loud noise sounded from across the room, and she blinked in surprise at the new guest.

Sesshomaru stood with a hand on the door to the outside looking very disheveled; His hair was a tangled mess and twigs and leaves poked out here and there. His clothes and armor were littered with dirt stains, and two voles poked out of his sleeve and shirt, and scurried outside sensing that they would be exterminated if they lingered. All in all he looked like he'd just been in a fight with a very angry bush, however he still donned his stoic expression as if there was nothing wrong with his appearance at all. An air of stunned silence lingered, then someone coughed.

"Um...may I help you sir?" The woman said shifting her weight uneasily, and watching as her guests faces tensed.

The odd silver haired demon looked left and right before fixing his piercing gaze upon the woman, causing her hair to stand on end and a cold chill ran down her spine.

"Bath."

She raised an eyebrow at him giving a thought to his mental stability, then the word registered and she gave a cheery laugh: "Ah yes of course! Please right this way sir, I'm sure your just dying to...uh...clean up!"

He sniffed haughtily, folding his arms in his sleeves and promptly followed the woman with an elegant stride, completely ignoring the other stunned occupants of the room. His mind was centered on one thing and one thing alone, and that was the unwavering desire to scrub his skin until it was red with irritation and eradicate the other inhabitants in his hair that were making his scalp crawl.

Five silent pairs of eyes followed after the tall demon lord and Kagome was the first to break the silence: "Is it just me.....or did he seem a little......out of it...."

"He looked like he was more than out of it Kagome," Sango said scratching her cheek thoughtfully. "He looks like he got the shit beat out of him by an angry tree. I've never seen him like _that_ before."

Inuyasha 'feh'ed as usual and shifted his attention to a wandering vole that had crawled back into the room, and he focused on it with a predatory glare to banish his brothers image from his mind: _That arrogant prick! He storms off after he gets his ass thrown into place, and now he thinks he can just crawl back here and everything will start going his way again. Good for nothing mutt--_

"You know I am a little worried about him."

A sick cracking noise of bones rubbing against cartilage resounded across the room, as four heads craned to stare at the raven haired school girl with individual expressions of bewilderment.

"Wh-what?" Kagome replied to the thick silence that hung in the air like L.A. smog.

"Ooooh you pooor girl," Miroku said pitifully as he rose and toke her side, grasping her hands and feeling her forehead. "Perhaps he's bombarded you with some kind of _mind illness_ known only to insane, rage driven demon lords...perhaps there is something _I_ can do to save you!"

"Yeeeeeek!!"

--CRACK--

"If your gonna save somebody then keep your hands off their asses long enough to do something about it you sick dog." Sango growled as she surveyed the large hole in the floor and the unconscious twitching monk.

"Gee, I'd love to see the girl that falls for him...if its even humanly possible," Shippo said from around a bowl of broth.

_Poor Miroku...an eternal slave to temptation._ Kagome thought absently as she rubbed her head, then turned her attention to a white blur that was attempting an escape. "Inuyasha."

He froze like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, and tried his best not to appear irritated at having his perfect getaway ruined. He pasted a fake grin on his face: "Ne Kagome?"

"Well...um....since your both kind of 'stuck together' maybe you should try getting along with him from now on. I mean if you do fight each other things could get very ugly....so .....um.... please don't fight any more for now? OK," she said giving Inuyasha her sweetest "I'm so worried and sad" look. Truth be told this was a godsend in itself. If somehow she could make them stop beating each other up, then they would have one less enemy off their hides.

The dog boy growled heatedly and gnashed his teeth and whirled around clenching his fists. "You've got to be kidding' me! I'm not bending over backwards for anyone!! You hear me!? _No one_ tells _me_ what to do!"

"**Innuuuyaaaashaaaa!**"

"Err...um," Inuyasha fell to the ground with a terrified expression, even the other rooms occupants seemed a little nervous. It was rare that Kagome could look scary...really scary... and she did it with a tone as cold as ice. It made his skin crawl when she got angry but didn't yell at him. She looked like she was going to eat him. "Shi-shikashi.....But I guess your an ex-exception Kagome....eheh heh heh... I'd be more than happy to....abide by yer...your wishes."

"See? That wasn't so bad now was it?" She said cheerfully returning to 'happy schoolgirl' mode and sighed. "All I'm asking is that you at least try to get along with him, I don't want to see you hurt...and believe it or not I don't want him to be hurt either....well.....at least not by some weird curse that involves you or any of my friends."

"But Kagome think about this carefully," Miroku said as Sango gapped at his quick recovery wondering if his _experience_ with women had hardened his endurance levels. "Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are like oil and water, they'd rather be as far out of each others personal space as possible-"

"But that's the problem," Shippo said spreading his hands wide. "Whether they like or not, their sharing one soul now and that's about as personal as you can get!"

"Which is why we have to encourage them to get along more, if we're going to beat this woman we have to prove to her that we can get along just fine even if we hate each others guts. That'll definitely be a blow to her ego when she sees them working together and not tearing each other to shreds. We have to work together! As a team!" Kagome said with a determined stance and smiled broadly.

"Well I hate to say it but your right," Sango said thoughtfully. "But first we have to get them to be in the same room with each other, and be at least a little comfortable with the invasion of their huge area of space."

"Hm, that's easier said than done," the monk pointed out. "We'll have to pull out all the stops this time around, but I guess it just goes to show that the old saying "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer," holds terribly true."

Inuyasha's ears twitched and he felt a sense of dread creeping up his spine. Usually his doglike instincts were to be followed to the dot, or else bad things happened that he didn't particularly enjoy being tossed into. He decided that whatever was coming next involved him, his brother, and possibly a therapist. He began to slither towards the door again.

"Inuyasha!"

--FREEZE--

_Ack! I've been caught! _

"Could you go find Sesshomaru and talk to him please," Kagome's sweet voice sounded from behind him. She was turning on the charm again.

_Don't turn around! Don't turn around! Eyes focused on the crack in the floor!!_

"Inuyashaaaa pleeease! Your the only one who can do this!" She said as she caught the corner of his orange eyes, and brought the "Dewey-eyed anime cute girl" mode into the game.

_Damnit! She does that every time! Agh! How am I supposed to say no to **that**!_

"F-FINE! I'LL DO IT BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I-"

"Eeee! Thank you sooo much Inuyasha! Your the best!," she said smothering the dog demon in a monstrous bear hug. She pulled back and turned jabbing her finger at the hallway door.

"Well what're we waiting for?! Lets go make nice nice with Sesshomaru!!"

She dragged a very confused half-demon behind her, who was trying to figure out when Kagome had ever used the term "nice-nice", and vanished into another section of the house. The raven haired girl was determined to make some ends meet with the squabbling siblings, and she wasn't going to give up doggonit! (No pun intended)

After a swift inquiry of where the resident platinum haired man had gone, she sighed heavily when no one could tell her where he had gone. She then considered finding the brown haired woman she meet earlier, since she was the last person to see him, and inquire of his whereabouts. She voiced her thoughts aloud to her grudge companion.

"So you want to split up and look for him?" He said shooting her his most annoyed look.

"Yeah I figure we have a 50/50 chance of running into him, besides he stands out like an eyesore so he shouldn't be that difficult to find." She said ignoring his disinterest in their quest.

"Fine whatever, I'll look for him, you look for this brown-haired woman of yours. We'll meet back with the others in that room in about 10 minutes if either of us can't find him. Got it." They exchanged nodes and went in opposing directions, the empty hallway adorned with its simple homely touches, echoed hollowly as their footsteps receded into silence.

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Steam. Thick steam filled the air and drifted upwards towards the afternoon sky through a hole in the bamboo forest. The strong, pliable plants towered over the private springs of the residence, the only source of bathing waters within miles. It created a surreal atmosphere that could knead tired muscles and pains of the days labors, and turn its occupants into bundles of happy clean flesh.

However, there was one occupant who was oblivious to the healing wonders of the spring, and was more interested in scalping himself with a rough brush and a few cubes of imported soap.

Sesshomaru had scrubbed his body a total of 8 times and washed his hair twice that amount, and he didn't intend on stopping anytime soon. His pale porcelain skin had turned a light cherry color from all the rigorous scrubbing, and he was sure that he would go bald from combing and detangling the huge knots of hair he encountered. By now he had probably sent all his unwanted guests packing due to his rabid ministrations, but somehow it seemed to be more of a mental thing because he was still convinced that he was filthy.

_Why can't I wash myself clean! Why do I still feel this ungodly sensation of grunge? Why does it persist!-_

He stopped in mid scrub as his fingers came into contact with the imprinted tattoo around his neck, its spidery runes standing out over his skin, and he realized his discomfort.

This restraining object had caused his sudden urge to eradicate the unseen filth, yet this filth lay inside him, eating away at him like a termite does to weakened wood. This filth was guilt, pain, anger- and he realized that this was what must have molded him into the unfeeling and violent person that he was today. There had been so many things in his life that he wanted to redo. Things he should have done that he never had, things left unsaid that should have been said, all leading to a mountain of regrets. Suddenly that hot spring was looking very enticing. He wished to wash his feelings away forever.

He stared up at the cloudy sky through a small hole in the bamboo forest that surrounded him, letting the overpowering heat play with his mind and calm his nerves. He drifted in and out of consciousness barely feeling the hard rocks that supported him, and oddly enough he felt a wave of calm wash over him, leaving in its wake the dozing form of the platinum haired demon lord.

For perhaps the first time he had been there, he felt truly relaxed and soon images of home began to filter into his drowsy head. A vision of a dark-haired girl dressed in a sky blue yukata waved to him from the limb of an ancient oak; his squat green henchman following him like an obedient animal through his many travels; far distant memories of a blonde haired messenger sending word from his father- he was coming home soon and was bringing something special for his little boy. His tiny little brother, with his huge baby eyes, following him into his room trying to get his attention, and fighting off a small hydra that was intending to make lunch out of said brother.

It went on and on, strains of memories and feelings he'd thought forgotten and lost to the sands of time. The most significant was one of his younger brother with a pleading expression, and almost tormented look of need, and a vision of a very familiar girl named Rin. Her sweet smile and bright eyes had remained even after she'd outgrown her childlike body, but her personality remained engraved in that innocent stage she never seemed to outgrow. His eyelids grew heavier and his senses dimmed as the heat began to infect him, but he allowed himself this moment of happiness.

"Thank god this place has a hot spring, I need a serious bath!" A feminine voice cut into his dozing.

Kagome drew back the thickly woven hanging that separated the spring from the outside world, and breathed in the damp earth. She had already met with Inuyasha again reporting the guest had evaded their thorough searches, and the little brown-haired woman was also as elusive as their primary target.

After some thought she decided that she could use a good soaking, rummaged in her bag for the sweet smelling substance she called soap and headed for the only bathing area there was. She'd decided to take the one that smelled like Jasmine since she'd already lost her vanilla scented one to Sango, who seemed a little attached to it for some reason.

She undressed humming the tune to a song she'd heard on the radio a few weeks earlier, and wondered how much of her studies she was missing and cringed at the amount of make up work she would have to do when she got back to her time. Life isn't easy when your living two different lives. She was too preoccupied with her worries that she missed the blatantly obvious trail of ornately decorated clothing, armor, and two very suspiciously familiar swords.

"Oo hot hot hot!," she exclaimed testing the water with her toe. "Eh...I guess I shouldn't complain, I haven't had a _hot_ bath in ages so.." She trailed off easing herself into the steaming liquid.

She let the breathe she was holding escape with a hiss, and she smiled as the water loosened her sore muscles. This had to have been the farthest they'd walked in a while, she thought absently as she scrubbed herself with the flowery bar of soap, the aroma soon filling the air with its intoxicating scent.

Unbeknownst to Kagome, a very sensitive nose picked up the smell almost instantly, and his imagination went a little hay wire after that. Sesshomaru would later realize, to his horror, that heated areas and scents closely linked to certain desirable emotions or people did not mix. He acted out of impulse and followed the tantalizing scent of Jasmine, eyes blurred from his need to find the only person that aroma lead to, his body acted of its own accord and soon found himself stealing up behind the unsuspecting figure before him.

He gazed over the tanned blemish free skin, warm and rose colored from the heat; the cascade of dark velvet that lay in waves over moistened skin. A chill ran up his spine as he connected scent to a comforting face, not pausing to rationalize the situation, and the need to touch his young companion, to feel her soft skin beneath his fingertips overwhelmed him. He wanted to run his hands through the silky dark strands, take the unmistakable female figure before him, nude and sopping wet, into his arms and caress every line, every curve of her body.

Just then the sane part of his demonic mind returned to the plane of reality screaming; "_Wait! Why is Rin here?! How could she have gotten here?!"_ But it was already too late and he'd already enveloped a startled Kagome in his strong embrace, and was holding her in an almost crushing hold as he inhaled the sweet smell of Jasmine that was screwing with his senses. He'd missed this scent for the many weeks he was away from the one emitted its tempting aroma.

"I've missed you Rin," he said huskily. "I've missed you dearly."

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**Akida**- Wai! Lookit I finally updated! Sorry if its so short, at least I think its short, I was intending this to be a filler between chapters and to get me started off again, so if it seemed a little weird that's why. Also I think I'll start updating Lifeline first before I go onto MDM, because for some odd reason after I finish a chapter in that one...I have a mental meltdown and I can't think about _anything_ anymore. Strange, perhaps its a sign to put more romantic fluff or humor into it. Anyway, I can't think of anything else to prattle about, history has sucked all my thinking out, so I will now leave you to your own devices....like.....REVIEWING! Yay!! ::throws random objects:: o.0


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